All My Friends Inc., a non-profit organization run by volunteers, has made some big changes in a short amount of time. The Founder and President (Dianne) of the organization has a daughter who was diagnosed with Autism in 2005 at the young age of 4 years old. At that time, there were limited resources available to families with a child who had special needs for the area of socialization and recrea
tional purposes. With the needs of her child in mind, as well as those of her daughter’s friends, All My Friends Playground was born. As Living Life with Autism continued to raise funds for All My Friends Playground, they realized that while they were working towards full inclusion of a local playground, their organization name didn’t reflect that goal. In March of 2017, Living Life with Autism became All My Friends Inc. named after the park that is the model of their mission; a true reflection of what true quality of life should look like -- fully inclusive, fun and supportive. Their goal is to ensure that every child, adult, parent, sibling…friend…who is impacted by a disability feels included in the community. That includes mind, body, spirit and social growth. All My Friends is all-inclusive of every person despite their abilities or disabilities. The name is different, the mission is still the same: to ensure the highest quality of life for individuals with differing abilities and their families through advocacy, community collaborations and socialization opportunities. "If nothing ever changed, there'd be no butterflies."
-Author Unknown
